"Master Sergeant Crenshaw? What a pleasure! But I thought you had retired finally? Couldn't put it down? Or are you on vacation?"

The rabbit in front of him pawed at her whiskers.

"Sergeant Yates, I am not here conducting any official business. In fact I'm just taking a little stroll here with four friends."

Crenshaw straightened his cloak as he turned it inside out. Brown became green in a flash as he donned it again.

"Four friends, one of whom happens to be an old swordmaster, a top Riverfolk mercenary, and two engineers? That seems awfully suspicious."

"It would be best if you didn't raise any questions about how unofficially I am here, Sergeant. I would hate for that word to come back to bite a very sensitive operation."

"Understood. You're welcome to integrate yourselves with the supply folk. It's a shame that we didn't have any aviary reps before. It'll be good to have some ability to see things from above."

Crenshaw smiled. The rabbit had accepted the bait. Now the rest of the team just had to play their roles.

Sergeant Yates nodded, her ears still alert and raised up.

"I'll inform them."

"Thank you mightily master sergeant, movement is in thirty minutes."

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Crenshaw returned back to the stables.

Woda was still saddling and rubbing down the chickens. Only one remained unsaddled, and he moved to get it ready. Following in the elder mouse's footsteps, he patted down the beast.

"Are you enjoying your retirement?" The old mouse asked him.

"It's quite a different pace. And the freedom, it's exquisite now. I didn’t understand it before, but now I relish this trip."

Woda continued over to the chicken, getting the saddle into place with Crenshaw's help.

"I miss traveling. Perhaps the farm or something else is just keeping me tied down."

"That's the truth. Having a big family, like yours? It's something special."

Woda had a twinkle in his eyes.

"It's something alright."

"Woda, you old mouse you."

Both mice smiled as the saddle was finally girth hitched to perfection. The pair paused to identify Ruby and set their supplies and special presents up on her saddle.

"With the two blue jays flying, we could spread the load out across two of them now."

"Assuming they want to fly. They're light enough that it shouldn't be an issue either way."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Light bones, eh, Crenshaw?"

"Something like that. You know I don't really know."

Woda grimaced, his whiskers askew.

"Let's move the chickens outside."

"Lead the way."

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"Husband, I am slow to anger, but you’re getting close to the line here."

"Layla, I'm so sorry."

"Milo! I kept telling you over and over again. You gotta listen to me when I talk."

River and Freya were watching the exchange. If there was food they would have been slowly popping it into their mouths. Something about the situation made Freya wish that she'd brought some corn.

"Layla! I can change, I swear it look, with this daughter I promise! I will change!"

Freya nudged the Raven as if to say, you think he's serious?

The raven nudged back, get out of town.

"Ahem."

"Oh, dear you have gone and upset the druid!"

"Now we'll have a pox on our house! Layla I'm so sorry!"

"We're not here to intrude upon your personal matters but just to check on the newborn before we go. A simple assessment should do fine. Oh she's kicking!"

The tiny mole, unfurled from her swaddle, gave several ineffective kicks before giving up.

"She's so adorable! Have you picked out a name yet?"

"Not yet. We're thinking of one particularly helpful and timely druid though."

River winked to the Mole family then attended to the mother and newborn.

River walked Freya through a step by step process as they worked head to toe. Starting with the mother and then the child, they worked methodically.

When they were finished Freya felt a fair bit more knowledgeable. Not confident, but no longer a complete novice.

"Two things before we leave, is this your first?"

"Yes, she is."

"You're going to need to bring her to receive her blessing before she turns three, four at the latest. If you cannot come to Yellowrock proper at the beginning or end of the winter season, then please send word and we'll have a druid attend to your newborn."

"Yes thank you, I imagine getting there at the beginning or end of winter in two years will be fine."

"I would do it myself, but I lack the talent and she's too young for it anyway," River said.

"What happens if she doesn't receive a druid's blessing?" Milo asked.

River looked the mole straight in the eye and stared him down.

"It's a fate worse than death," she intoned.

Freya's entire body was on edge and for the first time she thought that perhaps a bit of River’s druidic facade had dropped.

"She will need to see a druid of the night house, and neither of us are from that house unfortunately."

Freya had more questions but kept her mouth shut.

"And the other thing?"Layla said, accepting her child back from Freya,"you said there were two things?"

"Ah yes, I said there were two things. Would you happen to have two cloaks for someone…say bluejay sized?"

Freya grinned.

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Freya had never wanted to be a bird, except perhaps to fly a bit. After intentionally changing into one, she wasn't going to argue that point with herself.

She felt light on her feet, as if driven to fly. The air around her felt different and she was… hungry.

Freya and River returned to the breakfast table on their way down to the stables. A small button in the shape of a knife added to each of their cloaks, gave their companions the knowledge that their transition had been completed.

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The two mice, one otter and five chickens that were waiting for them all smiled at their approach.

"Ah, I see our engineers have arrived," Stone said.

They were all dressed in a mix of brown and green, a classic yellowrock pattern that had been stitched together for generations. The drab brown grey that the hotel staff had drudged up for the pair of Bluejays immediately made them stand out in comparison.

Freya was just glad that of the five chickens, three were brown, one was red brown and the final was white.

Ahead of them was a long caravan of carts pulled by cockroaches. One cart would be pulled by six to eight of the strong roaches. They all looked tired but resolved. Freya nodded to the first line up.

The first thing that Freya had needed to do after wildshaping into a blue jay was to remember how birds spoke. That is after she ate.

A lady jaybird simply needs to get her tea on daily.

The second thing she noticed was her body wanting to fly. Seeing all of the convoy trains heading in their direction of travel she decided that it probably would be prudent to learn how to provide overwatch.